Danger Under the Mistletoe

by Alexa Verde

  “I’ll have to.” She got to work.

  It took her longer than she’d expected. Seconds became minutes, which stretched into eternity. She almost ruined everything twice. Her nerves were taut, stretched to their limit. Cold sweat beaded on her brow, but she didn’t bother to wipe it.

  Close, so close.

  Rachel held her breath.

  Finally, she heard a click. Her heart seemed to leap out of her chest. She drew a shaky breath.

  “You’ve done it,” Sebastian said.

  “How long was it?” she asked.

  “Three minutes.”

  Only three minutes. Not an eternity.

  And she’d broken her own record.

  Rachel didn’t feel the joy of having accomplished something as she stared at the cases with jewelry and cash. She didn’t want to use her skills this way. On the contrary, she wanted to break away from her past.

  Her heart was heavy.

  She’d done this for important reasons, but stealing was stealing. And she’d gotten Sebastian involved, too. Guilt sliced her insides.

  But she was glad her client had followed some of her other advice.

  Quickly, she positioned herself so it wouldn’t be possible to see through the cameras what was in the safe. She pretended to reach for cash while she found the disposable phone and sent a quick text to Aidan.

  Help.

  She texted McPherson’s address, then found Sebastian’s hand, knowing she needed to say so much and she had only seconds to do it. “It’s going to start soon. Follow me, please.”

  She ran her palm along the wall to the right of the safe but couldn’t feel a slight bump in the wall.

  Oh, no.

  Terror claimed her every cell.

  It appeared that despite his paranoia, McPherson hadn’t followed her one final suggestion.

  She heard shuffling footsteps, then the old voice. “Step away from the safe. Now.”

  “You promised me more jobs,” Rachel said as she stepped aside from the safe and turned around.

  “I lied.” The answer was followed with more footsteps.

  Her suspicions were right.

  Hill didn’t work for some mysterious client to set up robberies. The only robbery he’d been interested in was of this place. She needed to get closer to the wall, on the miniscule chance McPherson had followed her last suggestion, after all, and she’d just been looking in the wrong place.

  Sebastian moved in front of her, as if shielding her. “I meant what I said. I love you, Rachel.”

  At any other time, her heart would be singing. Now, it was breaking at the thought that she’d put him in danger. She stepped back, closer to the wall, moving her hand carefully.

  She glanced at the ceiling, where a mistletoe mocked her.

  Rachel wanted to kiss the man she loved, hug him, but most of all, she wanted him to stay alive.

  “You still haven’t figured it out, have you?” The old man sounded smug as he approached her together with his helpers, who pointed guns at her and Sebastian. But Sean wasn’t with them.

  “Maybe not everything,” she said with a calmness she didn’t feel as she moved to the left, her palm pressed to the wall. The button should’ve been somewhere here. Why, why hadn’t McPherson listened to her?

  Hill’s white eyebrows drew together. “Let’s hear it then.”

  She needed this spike of curiosity badly. Every second she stalled gave her better chances of survival.

  “You staged this as a robbery when in reality you just wanted to kill your own son.” She moved to the left again. Was this her time to die?

  The old man’s frown deepened. “What did you say?”

  “Clark Hill isn’t your real name, right? Your last name is McPherson. Carl McPherson is your son, isn’t he? You wanted to make it appear he interrupted a robbery and shot at the thieves in self-defense. They shot at him. There would be three bodies as a result. And you’d get the money You’d kill your own son for money!” Indignation rose inside her.

  “Oh, please. He was no good. Never helped his pa. Frankly, I suspect he isn’t even my son. There’s not much family resemblance.”

  There really wasn’t, and that was the reason it had taken Rachel longer to put two and two together.

  “I deserve to spend whatever years I have left the way I want to. If I hired somebody to kill him, suspicion would be on me. Now all the suspicion will be on you, Rachel, especially with your track record. So simple. But enough talk. I’ve got to finish this. A trip to the Bahamas is awaiting me.”

  She finally felt a small bump in the wall, and her heart skipped a beat.

  Was that it?

  Rachel pressed it.

  For a long, excruciating moment, nothing happened.

  “Police, open up!” a voice outside shouted.

  Hill’s eyes widened. “You warned the police!” He turned to his helpers. “Kill them! Then we need to get out of here.”

  Judging by the gust, the wall behind her finally moved.

  Yes!

  The door was opening!

  Thank You, Lord!

  Rachel grabbed Sebastian’s hand and dragged him through the tiny slit into the small room just as shots thundered in the air. Bullets whizzed near them as she pressed on the button to close the door. Thankfully, it moved fast now. Sebastian ducked and pushed her to the floor.

  “Don’t worry. The door is bulletproof,” she said.

  A bullet whizzed above their heads.

  “Or not,” she corrected herself.

  It looked like McPherson had scrimped on the bulletproof part. But she was grateful he’d listened to her, after all. At first, she’d thought a hidden room was overkill, but he’d been so afraid of hurricanes and tornadoes that the room with reinforced walls had made sense to him.

  There was a commotion in the outer room, shouts, more shots fired. Rachel tried to block it out. She hoped McPherson had survived. She’d made the right choice by not tying his hands.

  Now, the challenge would be not to die from friendly fire.

  She sent up a prayer.

  “The police might shoot at us, right?” Sebastian seemed to read her mind.

  Swallowing hard, she gave a curt nod. “They have to treat everybody as suspects. It’s their job.”

  Sebastian took her hand, sending a wave of awareness even in these dire circumstances. “We’ll make it through this. Together.”

  There was a reason she’d fallen in love with this man.

  By the way he moved, as if trying to tuck her behind him, she realized he hadn’t said the entire truth. They weren’t going to make it through this together. He was going to shield her.

  Instead of comforting, the thought terrified her, and she shuddered. She couldn’t lose him.

  She couldn’t go through such a devastating loss again.

  They were so close to getting out of this alive.

  The door flung open, and it took Rachel a moment to recognize the person in front of her.

  Maya!

  Dressed in full gear, including a helmet, but still Maya. Rachel didn’t know what strings Maya or her husband had to pull to be here, but it probably helped to be the wife of a senator’s son, even if only a former senator.

  Rachel breathed out a sigh of relief. “Maya!”

  Her friend lifted her hand as if to stop her. “You know what’s going to happen next, don’t you?”

  Rachel nodded. “Interrogations. But it’s not fair to Sebastian. It’s not his fault. I take full responsibility for breaking and entering McPherson’s property. I was blackmailed into doing it.”

  Sebastian shook his head. “I came here with you of my own free will.”

  “No, you didn’t!” Rachel’s voice rose.

  His statement was a reminder why Rachel would have to walk away from him when all this was over. Guys like Sebastian deserved to be with good women with a clean past, who wouldn’t get them in dangerous situations like she had. He’d have to go through i
nterrogations, and even with her claiming responsibility for everything, his reputation might be stained. A good name mattered a lot, especially in small towns.

  Who knew when someone would decide to use her skills to make her steal again?

  She loved Sebastian with her whole heart, and that was the reason she’d have to leave him.

  ***

  Three days later, Rachel raked the leaves in her front yard.

  Even in winter, trees seemed to lose leaves here. Thankfully, several trees were evergreen. Even though she was set on moving soon, she wanted to leave the house and the yard in good shape.

  Her heart ached when she thought about having to leave this place.

  She wasn’t sure where she’d go yet.

  Most likely, to Austin, to be closer to January and Maya, despite memories of Ryan. The memories weren’t as painful as they once had been, and her friendships with Maya and January were priceless.

  Rachel sighed as she gathered the leaves in trash bags. Or maybe she’d move to Dallas. It would be easier to get lost in the city, where not many people knew about her past. She dragged the bags and placed them in the trash can, then glanced around. The yard looked so much better already. Now, if she could paint the house exterior a brighter color than beige…

  What was she thinking? She wasn’t staying here.

  This town didn’t know much about her yet, but she suspected they knew now she was a former thief who’d also gotten entangled in Hill’s machinations and broken into McPherson’s house in McAllen.

  Great reputation to start a new life with.

  Not.

  Rachel moved to another part of the yard and started raking leaves there. She grimaced as she remembered the interrogations. She’d answered all the questions truthfully, but it was probably due more to Maya’s and McPherson’s statements that charges hadn’t been pressed against her.

  Rachel gathered the leaves in trash bags again. A warm wave of gratitude went through her at the thought of McPherson. According to Maya, he’d insisted on appearing at the scene to make it believable, though it had taken a lot of work on Maya’s part for the local police to agree to it. McPherson had risked his life for her and taken her side against his own father.

  One of her neighbors, a woman in her mid-thirties, smiled and waved at Rachel while picking up mail. Rachel waved back. She’d expected some ill feelings toward her after the news about her misadventures spread. Surprisingly, there were none. At least, so far.

  Rachel looked over the neighborhood. Christmas lights were everywhere, except for her place. She went inside, washed her hands, and drove to the nearest supermarket. She came back with Christmas lights, which she wrapped around several trees.

  It was about time she brought some Christmas cheer into her life.

  Maya had to go back to Austin, but hopefully she, Connor, and January would be back for Christmas to spend it with her, Sebastian, and his grandmother. Mrs. Mora, or Grandma, had been nothing but kind to Rachel, so she felt it would be right to spend Christmas with her, especially now, when Grandma was heartbroken over the news about Hill.

  Even if Rachel had to face Sebastian for that.

  She’d told him she was leaving and didn’t want to see him anymore. She’d never forget the hurt expression in his eyes, or the way her heart ached, but it was for the better.

  With time, the pain would go away.

  She hoped.

  She had to do this for Sebastian.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  DONE WRAPPING THE LIGHTS AROUND the trees, Rachel eyed the roof. It looked like the landlord had put nails on the eaves, making it easy to hang lights, but Rachel couldn’t reach the nails.

  Maybe she’d borrow a ladder from Grandma. Rachel wanted to visit her, anyway, to comfort the old lady. Though, judging by the last several visits, it would take a lot of cups of tea and slices of pumpkin pie to do that.

  “Need some help?” Sebastian’s voice made her wince.

  Rachel whirled around. “Sebastian…”

  “I’ll get a ladder.” He walked away toward his grandmother’s house and returned with a ladder. Then he proceeded to hang the lights.

  Rachel figured the least she could do was go inside and make him a tall glass of iced tea. Besides, she needed to avoid looking at him and wishing for things that couldn’t be.

  When she came outside, he was done hanging the lights. She handed him the glass.

  “Thanks.” He drained it. “Would you like me to bring you a Christmas tree?”

  Her heart squeezed in her chest. Why was he nice to her? It would be easier to make a clean break if he’d been rude to her or ignored her all together.

  Rachel shrugged. “It’s only for a day and a half.”

  He returned the glass to her. “It’s still going to be worth it.”

  Rachel looked down and nodded. She wanted a Christmas tree. She wanted to grow in her faith. She wanted lights. She wanted happiness. She wanted to stay in Rios Azules and find out where the relationship with Sebastian would lead.

  She wanted so many things.

  “I’d like to join you in church tomorrow,” she said.

  His face brightened. “Grandma and I would love that.”

  She followed him to his truck, and he drove to the Christmas tree stand. Once they got the Christmas tree, they stopped to buy ornaments.

  “Have you heard from your brother?” he asked as he drove her back.

  “No. Sean disappeared again. All I can do is pray for him.” She looked away, out the window at the Christmas decorations on every lawn they passed.

  “I’ll pray for him, too,” Sebastian said quietly. “My grandma is asking about you a lot.”

  “Please tell her I’ll come tomorrow to help make turkey.” Rachel’s throat constricted. “I’m sorry how it turned out with her and Hill.”

  “Not your fault. I heard Hill died from a heart attack and that as soon as it was known, the guys he’d hired started talking, blaming everything on him.” Sebastian turned to the right.

  “And I’m sorry you had to go through interrogations.”

  “Again, not your fault. Stop apologizing. Actually, what you’ve done is amazing.”

  Her heart warmed, but she couldn’t let her feelings affect her decision.

  What had to be done had to be done. Who cared if she felt so empty, so hurting inside right now?

  Soon they were back at her place and decorating the tree.

  “Why do you have to leave? You don’t like Rios Azules? Or did you realize your feelings for me weren’t as strong as you thought?” Sebastian secured a little house ornament to the top branch.

  Rachel sighed as she wrapped lights around the tree. “It’s not that. I got attached to this little town. My feelings for you only grew. But… you know who I am.”

  “Of course. You’re a smart, courageous, beautiful woman who overcame great obstacles in life.” His voice was thick with emotion.

  Rachel’s heart expanded in her chest at his words. “You know what I mean.”

  Sebastian reached for her hand and held it in his. “When will you stop beating yourself up for something that happened a long time ago? Some of it wasn’t your fault to start with. Stop trying to fight your regret, guilt, and worries alone. Place them at the feet of the Lord. God sees who you are, your beautiful soul. Maybe you should start seeing yourself that way, too.”

  He clicked on the switch to turn on the lights on the tree.

  She felt his words illuminate something inside her soul just as the tree lit up.

  Rachel stared at him. “I… need to think about it.”

  “Okay.” He drew her close. “I’ll be here, waiting for you.”

  Her breath hitched. She wanted to say something, anything, but words failed her.

  When he let her go and left, she watched him until he closed the door behind him, her heart aching and mending at the same time.

  ***

  Rachel sat in the pew as a sense of serenity ove
rcame her.

  She was flanked by January on her left and Sebastian on her right with his grandmother sitting near him and, farther down, several of his friends and neighbors. Maya and Connor were sitting near January.

  The sermon was wonderful, and the singing was beautiful. Rachel didn’t think she could carry a tune, but she joined in nonetheless, and her soul sang.

  As they left the church and she and Sebastian helped Grandma to his truck, his words kept repeating in Rachel’s mind.

  What if God indeed saw beauty in her soul that she couldn’t see herself? What if what counted was not who she used to be but who she was now?

  She had the skills of a thief, but she didn’t have a heart of a thief. And she had numerous emails and texts from people who thanked her for making their homes, and therefore, their lives safer.

  As she returned to her car, she stared at the church, not thinking, not blinking, barely breathing.

  Then a prayer formed in her mind.

  Dear Lord, please guide me. What should I do? I want to be where You want me to be. I want to do what You want me to do. I want to become the person You meant me to be. Please help me. Thy will be done. In the holy name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

  Minutes later, she joined Sebastian, his grandmother, January, Maya, and Connor at Grandma’s place. A warm wave of gratitude swept over Rachel. She was happy to spend Christmas with all of them.

  They gathered in a circle, holding hands, and Grandma led in prayer. Rachel and others joined her in giving thanks to the Lord for all His blessings.

  As she sat down at the table near Sebastian, she felt she’d finally found the place where she belonged. Were her prayers answered?

  Sebastian filled her plate with the food she’d helped to cook.

  Rachel leaned to him, gathering her courage. “I changed my mind. I want to stay. That is, if you still…” She hesitated, not sure if she should continue. What if Sebastian realized his feelings for her had changed?

  He grinned from ear to ear. “I’m thrilled to hear that. Especially considering I have an important announcement to make. And yes, I still love you. I always will.”

  Her heart swelled. “Me, too. I mean, I love you so much. But… what announcement?”